Cool And Precise Steel Turning
Regardless of the enterprise, gadget shops are seeing the want for lighter components, extra sustainability and advanced fuel efficiency. those wishes are using using higher energy and warmth resistance substances, as discovered in purifier steels and heat resistant incredible alloys (hrsas).
This offers a real assignment for manufacturers in terms of device lifestyles and productivity, however also chip manipulate. every of the carbide inserts can be improved by means of the usage of precision coolant. these challenges aren't best skilled with the aid of manufacturers, however additionally toolmakers like sandvik coromant. there is an onus on experts to renowned those advances in substances with inserts which can aid customers' wishes turning inserts must be able to resist excessive temperatures even as slicing.
This is why Sandvik Coromant recommends the use of precision coolant.
In the zone
But, what exactly does the use of precision coolant involve? Because steel turning in a machine creates a high-pressure environment, a modern turning tool that features nozzles can produce a high velocity coolant jet.
By using tool holders with precision nozzles, coolant jets can be directed precisely towards the cutting zone on the rake side of the insert. This will act like a hydraulic wedge to lift the chip, which has two effects: it shortens the contact length between the insert and the material and helps to reduce cutting forces. The end result is a lower temperature with improved chip control.
Pre-directed precision over coolant can improve chip formation and increase the process window where no operator is needed. Nevertheless, these benefits can only be achieved with tools developed for precision coolant applications — for example, drills with through coolant and turning tools with targeted jets. This is because the required coolant pressure to break the chip for turning tools depends on the nozzle delivery design, material being machined and the depth of cut and feed. The coolant flow required depends on the pressure and the total coolant delivery area.
Choose modular
T-Max P designed inserts use a number of Sandvik Coromant steel turning grades, including GC4425 and GC4415 deliver improved wear resistance, heat resistance and toughness.Both materials contain second-generation Inveio coating technology that provides improved crystal orientation for increased wear resistance and an even more consistent performance.
In particular, the T-Max P is designed for through-tool delivery of precision over and under coolant. The holders increase tool life and productivity for ISO S, M and P workpiece materials, which are among the most common and complex. Precision coolant is especially efficient for these difficult-to-machine materials.
Increased tool life
Longer tool lifecycles and improved chip control are essential to cost-effective machining. Both can be aided by reducing heat build-up in the tool by applying coolant. One Sandvik Coromant customer experienced this while machining hub components made from an unalloyed steel, P1.2.Z.AN (CMC 01.2), using flood coolant. The existing process subjected the workpiece to rough turning in an Okuma horizontal lathe, and produced up to 30 pieces before signs of wear were noticed on the tool.
The machine shop wanted to improve the chip control and tool life, with improved process security and cycle times. To achieve this, the customer swapped its existing insert with a CoroTurn 300 QS shank tool for turning using precision coolant instead of flood coolant. The end result was that the customer was able to machine up to 79 components before the tool showed signs of wear — an increase in tool life of more than 263%.
Overall, using the CoroTurn 300 QS with precision coolant increased the machine shop’s productivity by 180%.
Of course, these advantages also benefit the bottom line. In another instance, a Sandvik Coromant customer in aerospace was able to machine two sets of main landing gear for an aircraft with a single tool, the GC4425 in combination over and under coolant. The previous solution, using a competitor’s tool with flood coolant, only machined 0.8 components before signs of wear were noticed. Again, this led to much increased tool life — by 250%.
The customer could now run two full components before any risk of insert failure, gaining productivity and cycle time by removing the stop for insert change. This equated to a 29% cost reduction.
